WASHINGTON—The number of Americans filing applications for new unemployment benefits fell last week, indicative of a tight labor market in which employers are reluctant to lay off workers.

Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S., decreased by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 214,000 in the week ended Oct. 27, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected 211,000 new claims last week.